Sports Training Tip: Warm Up Before Playing Your Sport

Sports Training Tip: Warm Up Before Playing Your Sport

Out of all the sports training tips that you may hear, one of the most important is to make sure that you warm up before playing your sport. Warming up is an important part of your routine regardless of what physical condition you are in or at what level you are at within your sport.

Why Warming Up is Important in Sports Training

Warming up is considered a low-level activity. Many people think that it consists of just stretching your muscles, but a proper warm-up should begin with activities that raise your entire body’s temperature, and most importantly, your muscle temperature. This prepares your muscles for stretching which comes at the end of the warm-up.

Amateur athletes, including children, teens, and weekend warriors need to warm up just as much as collegiate or professional athletes do. Warming up helps prevent soft tissue injuries and helps enhance your performance.

Consider these additional reasons for warming up:

Improved reflex times are attributed to higher muscle temperatures

Reduces stress on your heart

Feeling psyched as your mind and body feel ready to get in the game

Sports Training Tips to Begin Your Warm Up

Start your warm up with simple low-level activities to get your blood pumping. This gets you ready for warm-up stretches. Some activities to include are:

Slow and easy jogs

Shuffles, including side, forward, and backward

High knee runs

Forward to backward and vice versa runs

Acceleration runs

Finishing Your Warm Up

Once your body and muscles are feeling the effects of your warm up’s initial activities, you are ready to begin the muscle stretching portion of your warm up. Depending on the sport you play, you will want to do muscle stretches and activities that are geared to your sport and the movements you will be doing.

Keep in mind, the more vigorous your sport is, the longer your warm-up period should be. General warm-ups should take between five to 10 minutes. A good indicator of whether you’re warmed up is that your heart rate is within 10 beats above or below your heart rate training range. Having broken a light sweat is also a good indicator.

You can learn more important sports training tips from the Sports Medicine specialists at 3D Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center. Contact us today for an appointment. We are committed to keeping our patients in the game.